Wishes

How to spell wishes

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce wishes

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does wishes mean?

1. nounMore than one expressed desire or hope, often offered to someone for their wellbeing.
2. verbTo feel or express a desire for something, in the third-person singular present tense.

Wishes in a sentence

• noun

  She sent her best wishes for a speedy recovery.

• verb

  She wishes she had booked the flight earlier.

• noun

  The birthday card was full of warm wishes from the whole office.

• verb

  He wishes for a quiet weekend after the busy week.

Where does wishes come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from the Old English verb wyscan, meaning 'to long for' or 'to desire', which in turn traces back to a Proto-Germanic root wunsk- carrying the sense of wanting or yearning. The same ancient root gives German wunschen and the noun Wunsch, both about wishing, so the family connection runs deep across the Germanic languages. The noun use, meaning an expressed desire, developed alongside the verb in early English. The spelling stayed close to its native roots, and the plural and third-person form simply adds -es because the base ends in the 'sh' sound, which is why an extra e is needed before the s. The word has remained ordinary and everyday throughout its history, never borrowed or reshaped by Latin or French.

How the word is built

• wish (from Old English wyscan: to desire)
• -es (plural noun / third-person singular verb suffix)